Why the whole world is looking at the UAE.
Seven emirates, laws that protect buyers, a light tax regime and a growth plan mapped out to 2040: that is why investors worldwide are paying attention. The facts are sourced and dated, and we are just as open about the risks.
Seven emirates, seven characters
Pick an emirate: its character, who it suits, and what a foreigner can buy there.
Dubai
The global city: finance, tourism, aviation, and a deep property market, active for both purchases and resales.
- 4.58 million residents at end-2025 (+7.5% in a year)
- World's busiest airport for international traffic (95.2M passengers in 2025)
- Every sale registered with the Dubai Land Department, prices public
Investors looking for market depth, rental demand and an active resale market.
Freehold ownership open to foreigners in designated areas since 2002.
Dubai, in detail
Tap a card to open it.
Where your money goes, off-plan
What Law No. 8 of 2007 requires between your transfer and the keys.
- 01You pay
Your payments go into the project's escrow account, never into the developer's current account.
- 02The bank holds it
An approved bank holds the money; it can only be used to build that project.
- 03Construction advances
Funds are released as work progresses, under DLD and RERA supervision.
- 04You get the keys
The title deed is registered in your name at the Dubai Land Department.
Payment plan simulator
Examples of common splits. Each developer sets its own plan: only the contract counts.
What we see: of the 48 projects in the Reelly catalogue checked on 4 Nov 2026, 16 offer a post-handover plan. The share paid after handover ranges from 24% to 60% of the price, most often 30 to 40%, spread over 18 to 60 months, most often 24 to 36 months. The booking payment is usually 10 to 20%.
The vision: from 1971 to 2040
What is done, and the official targets — targets, not promises.
- 1971The UAE is born
The emirates unite; Ras Al Khaimah joins in 1972.
- 1997Dirham pegged to the dollar
USD 1 = AED 3.6725, unchanged since.
- 2002Ownership opens to foreigners
Dubai allows freehold ownership in designated areas.
- 2007Escrow law
Off-plan payments are protected in an account per project.
- 2021Dubai 2040 plan
The master plan organising growth to 2040.
- 2023D33 economic agenda
Goal: double the size of Dubai's economy within ten years.
- 20254.58 million residents
Dubai passes the 4 million mark in September.
- 2027TargetWynn Al Marjan Island
Opening announced for September in Ras Al Khaimah.
- 2033TargetD33 target
Economy doubled, Dubai among the world's top three economic cities.
- 2040TargetDubai 2040 target
5.8 million residents, 60% of the land as natural areas.
Dubai 2040, in numbers
The official master plan launched in March 2021.
residents by 2040 (3.3M in 2020)
of the land as nature reserves and rural areas
green and recreational space and public parks
length of public beaches
urban centres: Deira-Bur Dubai, Downtown-Business Bay, Marina-JBR, Expo 2020, Silicon Oasis
The market, today
Read live from the Dubai Land Department registers.
What we will never tell you
Vacancy, service charges and management reduce rent: we work them out with you before you buy.
Dubai has seen sharp corrections, notably after 2008. Invest for the long term.
The dirham tracks the dollar: for a euro or franc investor, the exchange rate affects value.
0% in the UAE doesn't mean 0% at home: your country of residence may tax this income.
Sources (checked 31/10/2026)
- Dubai Media Office — Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan (13/03/2021)
- Dubai Media Office — Dubai Economic Agenda D33 (04/01/2023)
- Dubai Legal Portal — Law No. (8) of 2007, escrow accounts
- WAM — UAE corporate tax, 9% above AED 375,000 (≈ EUR 92,400)
- KHDA — Dubai private schools 2024-25
- WAM — Abu Dhabi, world's safest city for the 9th year (Numbeo 2025)
- WAM — DXB, 95.2 million passengers in 2025 (ACI)
- WAM — Dubai population 4.58 million at end-2025
- Gulf News — Wynn Al Marjan Island, September 2027
- Afridi & Angell — Sharjah Law No. 2 of 2022
- Lexis Middle East — Umm Al Quwain, foreign freehold (2021)
What if it were your turn?
Aurèle thinks it through with you right away, in your language: it asks the right questions and checks DLD figures. A licensed advisor takes over for any decision.